Illustration used in the online training tool to show how legislative words relate to properties of environmental enrichment and pig welfare outcomes that may be used to assess compliance
Animal welfare legislation has been developed for many countries and many species but its impact depends on whether it is followed. New research has found an online training tool can improve participants' understanding of EU tail docking and enrichment legislation, as well as risk factors for tail biting. The training tool was aimed at official inspectors and other people involved in enforcement of legislative requirements on pig farms. The study, led by the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, was a collaboration of 15 researchers from nine EU countries and is published in Animal Welfare . An initial test and an online training package was completed by 158 participants including official inspectors, certification scheme assessors and advisors from 16 EU countries. Control group participants completed a second identical test before, and training group participants after, viewing the training. Dr Siobhan Mullan , Senior Research Fellow in Farm Animal Science in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, said: "The training package was designed for professionals involved in the assessment of finisher pig welfare and was well received by the participants.
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